Quick Specs

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Editors' Review

Vuze is the free, full-featured reincarnation of the popular BitTorrent client Azureus, an app for finding and watching video content that you download via torrent files.

Compared with more traditional and utilitarian BitTorrent clients, Vuze has a much richer, iTunes-style interface--with as much attention devoted to finding and viewing videos as to downloading them. You can browse the "Vuze HD Network" for videos (although you'll find a lot of lower-grade Internet fare, like promos, trailers, and podcasts), or you can look around using a friendly, easy search interface (although much of the content you'll find is copyright protected, which Vuze warns you about). The download functionality is excellent and fast, with plenty of control over even esoteric settings--and it's easy to view technical minutiae for a torrent in Vuze's big visual interface. Vuze will also help you get video into your iTunes with a beta "Devices" feature, and even onto your Apple TV, iPhone, iPod, or other devices.

For someone new to torrents, Vuze could be a great, easy introduction. If you're already familiar with using torrents and you're happy with your current client, you might not find enough here to inspire a switch.

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Publisher's Description

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From Vuze:
Vuze, formally Azureus, is a powerful bittorrent client that makes finding and downloading torrents quick and easy. Vuze includes a powerful and customizable meta search that will help you find and download torrents. Once you find content that you enjoy, you can setup subscriptions so you'll always be notified of new episodic content. To enable even further control of your torrent downloads, Vuze remote allows you to manage your download queue from any browser enabled device. After downloading your content, Vuze provides a cutting edge high definition media player for you to enjoy your content. And you can enjoy it anywhere. Vuze has a built-in video transcoder that will convert any video from it's native format to be compatible with iPhone, iPod, iPad, Xbox, PS3, and many other devices.

Powerful and feature-richEverything you need out of a torrent client with cool features I don't need but if I did would obviate the need for several other apps, e.g. media server, converterMost importantly: SHUTDOWN WHEN SEEDING or DOWNLOADS COMPLETE!! I can't stress enough how great that is. UTorrent has it but it resets each time you use it so it's useless

Cons

Power-hungry-Hence the utility of the auto-quit feature. It'll hog your resources for a few minutes while your file downloads then quit and you'll have no problems.

Once you get it set up properly, Vuze finds and downloads torrents pretty easily. You can view many types of video files within Vuze, using a built-in but largely feature-free player.

Cons

(1) Setup can be tricky, especially if your security settings are tight. Don't turn off your firewall - open only the ports that Vuze needs. And be careful when you install; there are defaults (like browser add-ons) that you'll want to say "no" to.

(2) Vuze has delusions of being a browser, but it doesn't have the ability to handle advanced web page features. Half of the links you click on will get you nowhere, and you have to wonder if security features are among the missing elements.

(3) Spammy interface. You have to live with a lot of promotional junk on your screen, flogging paid versions of Vuze and material from their sponsors/advertisers. That's the price you pay for nominally free software.

(4) As for copyright violations, that's something you (not Vuze) have to deal with. You can (a) use a VPN or anonymous proxy if you know how, (b) avoid pirated material, or (c) go ahead and take your chances. Hulu and Netflix are affordable, legal ways to go with option (c).

I actually could have like the "intelligence" of the way the program combines and seems to automate some functionality. But poor programing means it not only has bad manners, taking control over everything that comes close to it- ie. "Make VUZE the default ----?" Takes 5 clicks to hit "No" and make it work... 10 minutes later, it asks again (after being told DON"T ASK AGAIN. Only this time, when my cursor got close to the two buttons, guess which one clicked and VUZE took control of another piece of hardware. I know some of this is Mac/Mountain Lion. I had JUST got everything settled down from some memory leak issues I had after the upgrade. But it some software is programed to be aggressive, taking over functions and most tellingly NO SOLUTION FOR REMOVAL I think it should be mandatory for there to be an uninstaller online or with the installer, or at least a clear, step by step directions on how to uninstall code without having to spend three days of your life trolling user forums.

Cons

Immediately my Mac running Mountain Lion started doing odd things... Itunes launching on it's own, random web pages I had looked at days before suddenly opening in a window on my desktop... At first I thought was triggering something. Then while reading about logging into Gmail with different screen names I was suddenly logged out- and then I'm asked to reenter my password... very suspicious- and then I see first one, and later a different Avatar, "Mia" and "Tony" who have little icons on my new extra "Remote Toobar" and are listed as user 2 and 3, with me as the first. ***? Terrible documentation, but most of what I found in user forums was about not being able to delete the app- it keeps repopulating. SO many hours later, I've got a toolbar I don't want, with Vuze blog, Twitter, FaceBook, Vuze Search, Vuze Deals, and badges to go with all. I've done everything but delete Chrome completely and start over... and now have discovered it's done the same thing to Firefox.

Summary

There's no way to talk to anyone at Vuze- you get an automatic email from their legal department if you drill down and find the ONE place you can send email to them. They NEVER offer instruction on removing the App. I trusted CNET- didn't do my full dillegence, which is my bad- but I can't believe a company who's function is to review tech wouldn't at least mention that it's strange when an app gives NO clue how to get rid of it... As a someowhat sophisticated but not professional user, I am used to sometimes having to really look to find things like that out... but CNET should do some research- for one thing, I bet they could get a response from the company.Waste of a Saturday!

Software that installs anything other than itself and required support files is infected, either deliberately or accidentally, with adware and should not be hosted by this site. I have never installed software from Download.com since spending an afternoon removing Vuse and its related contaminants.

I miss VersionTracker and knew it would go downhill after being sold to c|net.

It has the most comprehensive set of controls available of any client and its trackerless system is just AWESOME. I end up getting a lot of downloads that would have either not started or stopped partway thru without it. Gets the job done for sure.

An earlier version did not work properly and when I checked to see if there were updates available I was informed that I had the latest version. I had to go to the web site to install the latest 4.7.0.0.

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